Martin Castillo

Martin Castillo, born in Los Angeles during 1980, works as an American alternative corrido singer, songwriter, drummer, and producer whose independent and label releases have charted on Regional Mexican lists. Fans commonly refer to him as both “the King of Corrido” and “El Toron.” His parents recall that his earliest utterances emerged as melody rather than speech, and by age five he was striking pots and pans arranged in a makeshift drum set. That early obsession with voice and rhythm prompted his family to place him, while still in fifth grade, at a neighborhood music academy for structured lessons in singing, drumming, and trumpet. A recommendation from a former student secured his first professional engagement as snare drummer with Banda Azpericueta, a post he held until turning 16.

At 17 he helped establish Sueño Norteño and performed on drums, though the association proved brief; two years later he assembled Los Dos Grandes de la Sierra, a group that would become a fixture on the Los Angeles scene. He balanced daytime high-school classes with nighttime performances, and by 19 he was earning a full living from music while also providing for his relatives. Vocal responsibilities were shared with Regulo Cota. The band first built its following on the Mexican circuit; reports of their explosive concerts traveled northward, enlarging Castillo’s own profile through his distinctive phrasing and intense delivery.

Following ten collective albums, he launched a solo path. Posting song videos on YouTube and cultivating social-media channels, he gradually secured independent releases and live dates. His output consisted of brisk, hardcore narcocorridos that resonated with alternative-corrido listeners even though his instrumental and vocal refinement set him apart from typical genre practice. The debut solo project, Empecherado y Adiamantado, surfaced in 2010; Autorizados and Seguimos de Frente arrived the next year. In 2012 he issued the final independent effort, Autorizados, Vol. 2, which contained the tracks “El Campo 1” and the concert version of “Al Lado del Peligro.”

Sony’s first Castillo album, Poder y Respeto, appeared in July 2012 and drew widespread praise along with substantial radio play, sharply increasing ticket demand. The label follow-up, Mundo de Ilusiones, came out in February 2014. Maintaining a rapid pace, he continued nonstop performances for his large grassroots audience while using non-tour days for studio work. Entre la Lumbre reached stores in August of the subsequent year and featured the singles “El Guerrito” and “Mi Filosofia.” The visual for the former sparked discussion because it functioned as a short film intercutting the music with tense, violent scenes of a failed narcotics transaction. On the same date a stand-alone single and clip titled “Con Dinero Baila el Perro,” subtitled “El Chapo,” recounted the puzzling details of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s 2015 jailbreak. Early in spring 2016 the advance track “La Historia de Mi Vida” registered on multiple digital charts; the full studio album carrying that name followed in April.